Empty Property

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  if he will list the empty or largely empty buildings owned by his Department; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many buildings owned by his Department and the bodies for which he is responsible have been empty for more than two years; and if he will make a statement.

Kenneth Clarke: The Ministry of Justice is committed to reducing the operating cost of its estate by rationalising through disposal or lease surrender when appropriate.
	As such the Department has a number of empty buildings, the majority of which are either awaiting disposal or under offer.
	The list of empty Ministry of Justice properties as of 31 May 2012 is as follows (properties empty for two or more years are marked*):
	Property n ame
	Candleford Road, Manchester*
	Harropwell Lane, Pontefract
	Ock Street, Abingdon
	Princess Drive, Liverpool
	Stowe Court, Lichfield*
	The Boulevard, Weston-super-Mare*
	The Old Convent, Pulteney Road, Bath
	Thurstan House, Northallerton
	Towngate, Leyland
	Ammanford magistrates court
	Ashford magistrates and county courts
	Balham youth court
	Barking and Dagenham magistrates court
	Barnsley county court
	Barry magistrates court
	Bingley magistrates court
	Bishop Auckland magistrates and county court
	Blaydon magistrates court
	Bridgwater magistrates court
	Bridport magistrates court
	Bristol magistrates court (Nelson Street)*
	Cardigan magistrates court
	Cirencester magistrates court
	Consett county court
	Daventry magistrates court
	Dewsbury county court
	Dewsbury magistrates court
	Didcot magistrates court
	Ely magistrates court
	Epping magistrates court
	Gosforth magistrates court
	Halesowen magistrates court
	Hemel Hempstead magistrates court
	Honiton magistrates court
	Keighley courthouse
	Launceston magistrates court
	Lewes magistrates court
	Lyndhurst magistrates court
	Market Harborough magistrates court
	Melton Mowbray magistrates and county courts
	Newark magistrates and county courts
	Pontypool county court
	Port Talbot magistrates court
	PWB House, Sandbach*
	Pwllheli magistrates court
	Rawtenstall magistrates court
	Redditch county court
	Retford magistrates court
	Rochdale magistrates court
	Salford magistrates court
	Sittingbourne magistrates court
	Sudbury magistrates court
	Swaffham magistrates court
	Tamworth magistrates and county courts
	The Villa, Houghton le Spring
	Thetford magistrates court
	Totnes magistrates court
	Wantage magistrates court
	Wareham magistrates court
	Weston-super-Mare magistrates court*
	Whitehaven magistrates court
	Wisbech magistrates court
	Woking magistrates court
	Former HMP Ashwell site
	Former HMP Brockhill site
	Former HMP Latchmere House site
	Former RAF Coltishall site*
	Former police training college, Cwmbran*.

Mali

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the security situation in Mali.

Henry Bellingham: We support the progress that has been made towards returning Mali to constitutional, civilian rule following the forcible seizure of power on 21 March. We welcome the inauguration of interim President Dioncounda Traoré on 12 April and continue to support the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)-led efforts to return Mali to full democracy, including the holding of elections. But we remain deeply concerned by the deteriorating security situation in the north of the country following the capture of three cities by Tuareg insurgents, some with reported connections to Al-Qaeda.
	We understand that agreement was reached over the weekend of 19-20 May to extend the mandate of the interim government for a further 12 months. However, the status of this agreement remains unclear following the attack on President Traoré on 21 May. Reports suggest that over 300,000 men, women and children have been uprooted by the current crisis in Mali. This on-going conflict is further exacerbating the already worsening food crisis that is currently affecting some 18 million people across the Sahel.
	We condemn the latest violence and continue to engage actively—including through our recently reopened embassy—with ECOWAS, regional governments and our international partners to support a swift return to democratic, constitutional government.

Sri Lanka

Ian Paisley Jnr: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether his Department plans to extend current levels of funding for the de-mining of the Kilinochchi minefield in Sri Lanka for an additional year to enable the completion of the project.

Alan Duncan: The UK Government is strongly committed to mitigating the effects of landmines and other explosive remnants of war. The UK Government's mine action programme will realise our strategy ‘Creating a safer environment: clearing
	landmines and other explosive remnants of war’ over three years. This programme will benefit at least 450,000 people and clear at least 1,400 hectares of land.
	In Sri Lanka the UK is supporting the HALO Trust to implement its Mine Action programme. In the Kilinochchi District UK funded teams were allocated 22 areas, or 77,532m(2 )of land, to clear. This land is needed for resettlement and agriculture. After six months of work 14 of these areas have been cleared allowing internally displaced people to begin returning home. Funding in Sri Lanka is committed until November 2013. No funding decisions have been made for 2013 onwards.

Meetings

Bob Russell: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, what the dates were of each IPSA Board meeting in the last 12 months; what the names are of those Board members who (a) attended each meeting in person and (b) took part by means of a telephone conference link; and what the names are of those who did not participate in each meeting either in person or via a telephone link.

Charles Walker: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. I have asked IPSA to reply.
	Letter from Andrew McDonald, dated 11 June 2012
	As Chief Executive of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking for details of IPSA Board meeting in the last 12 months.
	The approved minutes of ordinary meetings of IPSA's Board, which include the details of those who attended in person and by phone conference, as well as any apologies received, are published routinely on IPSA's website at:
	http://parliamentarystandards.org.uk/transparency/Pages/Minutes.aspx
	In the financial year 2011/12, Board members' aggregated participation in Board meetings was 93%.

Correspondence

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many letters to Ministers in his Department were (a) not answered, (b) not answered within six months and (c) not answered within three months in (i) 2010-11 and (ii) 2011-12; how many such letters were from hon. Members; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: The Cabinet Office, on an annual basis, publishes a report to Parliament on the performance of Departments in replying to hon. Members correspondence. The report for 2011 was published on 15 March 2012, Official Report, columns 30-33WS. Reports for earlier years are available in the Library of the House.
	In 2011, there were over 60,000 items of ministerial correspondence due for answer by the Department. The Department answered 99% of this correspondence, within the Whitehall standard of 20 working days.
	All correspondence requiring a response that was due for answer in financial year (April to March) 2011-12 was answered. Only one letter requiring a response that was due for answer in 2010-11 was not answered; this was from an hon. Member.
	The following table shows the number of items of correspondence due for answer in 2010-11 and 2011-12 that were not answered within six months and not answered within three months, and how many of which were from hon. Members. These figures represent all ministerial correspondence logged on the Department's central ministerial correspondence database.
	
		
			  Not answered within six months Not answered within three months 
			 Financial year due for answer Total From hon. Members Total From hon. Members 
			 2010-11 1 0 20 1 
			 2011-12 0 0 6 4 
		
	
	In addition, the Department receives correspondence that does not require a response, for example, because it is for another Government Department, because it is for information only, because it is a duplicate of another letter or because one reply has been sent to multiple letters.

Diabetes

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to ensure that its cost data captures the full costs of diabetes nationally.

Paul Burstow: The main source of cost data in the national health service by disease is programme budgeting (PB) data. Commissioner level programme budgeting data is published annually in the form of a benchmarking tool that enables commissioners to identify:
	how they spend their allocation over 23 disease categories and their respective subcategories. Diabetes is one of the 23 categories;
	how their disease category level expenditure is split across 12 care settings (this is new from 2010-11); and
	how their expenditure distribution pattern compares with other commissioners nationally, locally or with similar characteristics.
	The latest version of the Programme Budgeting PCX Benchmarking Tool contains estimates of expenditure for the 2010-11 financial year.
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Managingyourorganisation/Financeandplanning/Programmebudgeting/DH_075743
	The PB data allocates all relevant NHS expenditure to a disease category. Disease-based costings depend on diagnostic codes. PB data are based on the use of only the primary diagnostic code. However patients can have multiple diagnostic codes for each hospital admission. This is particularly the case for patients with co-morbidities, e.g. patients with diabetes. Alternative approaches to the use of diagnostic codes will produce a range of cost estimates. Each approach has its merits, depending on the question being addressed.
	For example, data are available from hospital episode statistics, from which the fuller estimates of secondary care costs incurred in care for diabetes patients can readily be derived, for appraisal of specific policy options.
	On the other hand, unlimited use of secondary diagnostic codes for diabetes could spuriously attribute to diabetes costs that would have been incurred irrespective of that condition.

Armed Forces: Training

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of a recruit completing Phase 2 and 3 training in the (a) Royal Armoured Corps (b) Infantry, (c) Army Air Corps, (d) Royal Artillery, (e) Royal Engineers, (f) Royal Signals, (g) Royal Logistic Corps, (h) Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, (i) Royal Army Medical Corps, (j) Adjutant General Corps, (k) Intelligence Corps and (l) Brigade of Gurkhas.

Nick Harvey: Training costs for Phase 2 trade training for soldiers within each Corps or Cap Badge varies considerably depending on the role they are training for (of which there are over 220 in the Army), the content of the training, the number of recruits, the length of the training and the pass rates on specific courses. The following table shows the estimated lowest and highest cost per soldier recruit for each Corps undertaking Phase 2 trade training, excluding additional costs such as housing, infrastructure and utility costs.
	
		
			 Corps/Cap Badge Estimated range of cost per soldier recruit for Phase 2 trade training 
			 Royal Armoured Corps £31,520 to £67,090 
			 Infantry—Phase 2 (includes Infantry Battle School) £17,420 to £29,000 
			 Army Air Corps (1)£128,700 
			 Royal Artillery (1)£17,430 
			 Royal School of Military Engineers (Royal Engineers) £24,220 to £81,870 
			 Royal Signals £13,500 to £53,100 
			 Royal Logistics Corps £3,820 to £33,340 
			 Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (includes the School of Electrical and Aeronautical Engineering and the School of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering) £1,310 to £43,930 
		
	
	
		
			 Army Medical Corps £28,000 to £87,000 
			 Adjutant General Corps £13,500 to £52,720 
			 Intelligence Corps £5,460 to £5,570 
			 1 Single Phase 2 course 
		
	
	Soldier recruits from the Brigade of Gurkhas are subsumed into the appropriate Cap Badge training course, such as Infantry, Royals Engineers, Royal Logistics Corps or the Royal Signals, for Phase 2 training dependent on their job choice.
	Information on the cost of Phase 3 career development training is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Once a soldier is fully trained (on completion of their Phase 1 and Phase 2 training), they continue to undertake training throughout their career, dependent on the individual soldier's career path and need. This career development training is varied and diverse and the costs of such training varies from person to person.

Defence Equipment: Scotland

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) aircraft support vehicles, (b) Royal Maritime Auxiliary service ships, (c) fire trucks, (d) rapid intervention crash vehicles, (e) cars and (f) motorcycles of each type are permanently based at each location in Scotland.

Peter Luff: The information requested will take time to be collated.
	I will write to the hon. Member once this is completed.
	Substantive answer from Peter Luff to Angus Robertson:
	I undertook to write to you on the 16 May 2012 (Official Report, Column 168W) in answer to your parliamentary question about how many (a) aircraft support vehicles, (b) Royal Maritime Auxiliary service ships, (c) fire trucks, (d) rapid intervention crash
	vehicles, (e) cars and (f) motorcycles of each type are permanently based at each location in Scotland.
	Information for vehicles operated by the Navy, Army, RAF and the Defence Fire and Rescue Management Organisation which are based in Scotland can be found in the following table.
	
		
			  Aircraft Support vehicles Fire and Rescue Assets Rapid Intervention Crash Vehicles Cars (White Fleet) Motorcycles 
			 7 Cdo Bty RM Condor (Arbroath) — — — 1 — 
			 45 Cdo RM Condor (Arbroath) — — — 5 — 
			 Aberdeen — — — 3 — 
			 Ayr — — — 2 — 
			 Bathgate — — — 1 — 
			 Broxburn — — — 1 — 
			 Oil Fuel Depot Campbeltown(3) — — — — 1 
			 CAPFASFLOT(1) — — — 13 — 
			 HMNB Clyde (Faslane)(2) — 4 1 66 — 
			 RNAD Coulport — 6 1 16 — 
			 Cumbernauld — — — 1 — 
			 Craigiehall — — — 16 — 
			 HMS DALRIADA (Greenock) — — — 1 — 
			 Salvage and Marine (Greenock) — — — 2 — 
			 Dumbarton — — — 3 — 
			 Dumfries — — — 2 — 
			 Dundee — — — 12 — 
			 Dunfermline — — — 5 — 
			 Edinburgh — — — 39 — 
			 Elgin — — — 1 — 
			 Fleet Protection Group (RM) — — — 9 — 
			 Flag Officer Sea Training (Faslane) — — — 4 — 
			 Glasgow — — — 4 — 
			 Glenrothes — — — 1 — 
			 Hamilton — — — 1 — 
			 Inverness — — — 10 — 
			 Northern Diving Group (Faslane) — — — 1 — 
			 RCHQ (N) (HMS Caledonia) — — — 18 — 
			 RAF Kinloss — 2 — 67 — 
			 RAF Leuchars 57 4 7 69 — 
			 Oil Fuel Depot Loch Striven(3) — — — 1 1 
			 DSDA Longtown — 4 — — — 
			 RAF Lossiemouth 77 3 7 71 — 
			 Stirling — — — 27 — 
			 HMS SCOTIA (Rosyth) — — — 1 — 
			 HQ RMR Scotland — — — 2 — 
			 (1) CAPFASFLOT (Captain Faslane Flotilla) includes Faslane and Rosyth, HMS Defender, HMS Neptune and Mine Counter Measures 3 (Faslane). (2) Includes Clyde Off-site Centre, Garelochhead Oil Fuel Depot, and Churchill Square. (3) Under control of HMNB Clyde (Faslane). Notes: 1. Only White Fleet vehicles provided by Babcock Land Ltd are included. 2. Cars cover vehicles up to the size of a people carrier 3. Motorcycles = Quad bikes at Oil Fuel Depots. 
		
	
	There are no longer any Royal Maritime Auxiliary Service (RMAS) ships based in Scotland. The RMAS disbanded in 2008 and all ships were transferred to the contractor Serco Denholm, now known as SD Marine Services Ltd, as part of the Defence Marine Services contract. These ships continue to operate within Scotland but are currently owned by SD Marine Services Ltd.

HMS Vanguard

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost of repairs to HMS Vanguard was following its collision at sea with French submarine Le Triomphant in February 2009.

Nick Harvey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the former Secretary of State for Defence the right hon. Member for North Somerset (Dr Fox), on 4 November 2010, Official Report, column 956W, to the hon. Member for Moray (Angus Robertson).

Plymouth

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  whether any military assets were used as part of his official visit to Plymouth on 26 March 2012;
	(2)  what the total cost to his Department was of his official visit to Plymouth on 26 March 2012.

Philip Hammond: I utilised a 32 Squadron A109 flight to visit HM Naval Base Devonport and HMS Vengeance in Plymouth on 26 March. The notional cost is around £2000. I carried out this official visit ahead of attending Defence questions in the House of Commons the same day.

Free School Meals

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what research his Department has conducted into whether some households feel embarrassed about claiming free school meals.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 11 June 2012
	The School Food Trust undertook a review in 2009 of free school meal initiatives across the UK. This showed that there are many reasons why some pupils or parents decide not to claim the free school meal to which they are entitled, including embarrassment. The review 'Please Sir, can we have some more?' is available on the trust's website at
	http://www.schoolfoodtrust.org.uk/research/research-projects
	The School Food Trust has produced a 'Free School Meals Matter Toolkit' which provides schools with information and advice to help them to ensure that all pupils entitled to free school meals register for, and take, the meal. The Department's online Eligibility Checking Service enables parents to apply for school meals without having to give the school information about their income from benefits or earnings. This helps to reduce the stigma for eligible pupils.
	A number of schools and local authorities have put in place cashless payment systems which help ensure that those children who are receiving a free school meal can not be identified.